Canadian drinking-age laws have significant effect on deaths among young males

Date:

March 18, 2014

Source:

University of Northern British Columbia

Summary:

Canada's drinking-age laws have a significant effect on youth mortality, a study demonstrates. The study's author writes that when compared to Canadian males slightly younger than the minimum legal drinking age, young men who are just older than the drinking age have significant and abrupt increases in mortality, especially from injuries and motor vehicle accidents.

Share:

Total shares:

FULL STORY

Dr. Russell Callaghan, whose work suggests that increasing the drinking age to 19 years of age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Québec would prevent seven deaths of 18-year-old men each year. Raising the drinking age to 21 years across the country would prevent 32 annual deaths of male youth 18 to 20 years of age.

Dr. Russell Callaghan, whose work suggests that increasing the drinking age to 19 years of age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Québec would prevent seven deaths of 18-year-old men each year. Raising the drinking age to 21 years across the country would prevent 32 annual deaths of male youth 18 to 20 years of age.

A recent study by a University of Northern British Columbia-based scientist associated with the UBC Faculty of Medicine and UNBC's Northern Medical Program demonstrates that Canada's drinking-age laws have a significant effect on youth mortality.

The study was published in the international journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. In it, Dr. Russell Callaghan writes that when compared to Canadian males slightly younger than the minimum legal drinking age, young men who are just older than the drinking age have significant and abrupt increases in mortality, especially from injuries and motor vehicle accidents.

Currently, the minimum legal drinking age is 18 years of age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Québec, and 19 years in the rest of the country. Using national Canadian death data from 1980 to 2009, researchers examined the causes of deaths of individuals who died between 16 and 22 years of age. They found that immediately following the minimum legal drinking age, male deaths due to injuries rose sharply by 10 to 16 per cent, and male deaths due to motor vehicle accidents increased suddenly by 13 to 15 per cent.

Increases in mortality appeared immediately following the legislated drinking age for 18-year-old females, but these jumps were relatively small.

According to the research, increasing the drinking age to 19 years of age in Alberta, Manitoba, and Québec would prevent seven deaths of 18-year-old men each year. Raising the drinking age to 21 years across the country would prevent 32 annual deaths of male youth 18 to 20 years of age.

"Many provinces, including British Columbia, are undertaking alcohol-policy reforms," adds Dr. Callaghan. "Our research shows that there are substantial social harms associated with youth drinking. These adverse consequences need to be carefully considered when we develop new provincial alcohol policies. I hope these results will help inform the public and policy makers in Canada about the serious costs associated with hazardous drinking among young people."

University of Northern British Columbia. "Canadian drinking-age laws have significant effect on deaths among young males." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 18 March 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140318140757.htm>.

University of Northern British Columbia. (2014, March 18). Canadian drinking-age laws have significant effect on deaths among young males. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 2, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140318140757.htm

University of Northern British Columbia. "Canadian drinking-age laws have significant effect on deaths among young males." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140318140757.htm (accessed August 2, 2015).

July 31, 2015  School is just around the corner, which means backpacks and packed lunches await your children. One expert offers tips for parents to promote healthy dental habits while away from ... read more

July 29, 2015  By blocking the expression of a certain gene in patients, researchers have contributed to the demonstration of great decreases in the concentration of triglycerides in their ... read more

July 29, 2015  Viewing aquarium displays led to noticeable reductions in blood pressure and heart rate, a research team found in the first study of its kind. They also noted that higher numbers of fish helped to ... read more

Nov. 19, 2014  Minimum legal drinking age legislation in Canada can have a major impact on young drivers, according to a new study. Drivers just older than the legal age had a significant increase in motor vehicle ... read more

Feb. 6, 2013  People who grew up in U.S. states where it was legal to drink alcohol before the age of 21 are more likely to be binge drinkers later in life. Researchers found that people who lived in states with ... read more

Jan. 30, 2013  There is growing evidence for the lasting impact of alcohol on the brain. Excessive alcohol use accounts for 4% of the global burden of disease, and binge drinking particularly is becoming an ... read more

Dec. 10, 2010  Although presidents at some US colleges have argued that lowering the minimum legal drinking age could help curb binge drinking on campuses, a new study suggests such a measure would be ... read more